Felony charges of trafficking of a child and child enticement have been filed in Douglas County Circuit Court against a Washburn man who allegedly used Instagram to set up a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old.
Jeff Allen Luckenbill, 42, faces one count each of trafficking of a child and child enticement, both as a persistent repeater. An arrest warrant was issued Nov. 13 for Luckenbill, who remains in custody at the Bayfield County Jail on a supervision hold.
According to the complaint, a woman contacted the Superior Police Department on Aug. 2 to report that her 14-year-old daughter was being propositioned via Instagram by someone with the handle "@adamjohannsen1100" to sell her virginity. When her daughter told her about the messages, the mother posed as her daughter and continued the conversation. She then handed her daughter's phone off to Investigator Cory Hanson.
Posing as the 14-year-old, Hanson arranged a meeting with "@adamjohannsen1100." The meeting fell through, but Hanson indicated the 14-year-old was walking home.
Through continued conversation and surveillance, officers were able to identify a suspect vehicle driven by Luckenbill. Glass fragments and parts of a smashed cellphone were found under the driver's seat.
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Luckenbill reportedly told a Bayfield County Sheriff's Office investigator during an interview at the Bayfield County Jail that he had set up accounts with the cellphone social media apps Instagram, Kik and Snapchat. He admitted that the day of his arrest, he was going to Superior to meet someone he thought was 14 or 15 years old to have sex.
Luckenbill said he had been talking to her on Instagram and that he drove around the neighborhood where the girl said she was walking after the meeting fell through. He broke his phone when he was pulled over so officers would not obtain any information from it.
Luckenbill was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Douglas County in 2006 and sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to online court records. He is a registered sex offender and must remain registered for life, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
No court date has been set for Luckenbill, although a number of search warrants have been filed in Douglas County for his truck, phone provider, bank and social media sites.
